What modern Russian writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya thinks about today’s tragic events Bashny.Net

Two people talking. It can get a lot of attention. Especially when it comes to interviewing a journalist with a famous person. Let’s ask what the Russian writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya said to the interviewer Ekaterina Gordeeva. The women’s communication took place in Berlin, where Lyudmila chose to leave after Russia’s full-scale invasion of sovereign Ukraine.



The interview was recorded as part of the project “Tell Gordeyeva”. Lyudmila Ulitskaya begins her story with quite interesting thoughts. “Today we are in a state of terrible timelessness. We need to learn to breathe, move, think differently. Those who decided to play war now probably do not remember how their parents and grandparents lived. How they survived war, evacuation, occupation. This is the hardest experience.”

The writer shared with the journalist that she is very saddened by the fact that she does not know when she will be able to return home, and whether at all. Lyudmila says she even forgot her own birthday. According to Ulitskaya, such changes cause changes in human behavior. There is no longer the automatism to which everyone is accustomed.



The thought of a famous person “We fell into some historical rhyme.” Exactly 100 years ago, a huge number of artists and writers left Moscow. Of course, people are fleeing the war. Because how long it will last and how terrible it will be, is completely unknown. It all depends on the will of one person. But it seems to me that he does not understand at all what kind of world he lives in, Ulitskaya muses.

The interview with Gordeeva and Ulitskaya was published on March 29, and no one could imagine all the horrors of the war, which will become known later. However, Ludmila Ulitskaya’s reflections are worth reading if only to form a personal opinion about all those who are on the other side of the barricades.



Ekaterina Gordeeva asks Lyudmila Ulitskaya why so many Russians support a brutal regime that sends soldiers to certain death. “Support until their children go to war. Because the children of most of the current Russian leaders receive Western education. Most of them are probably in the West. For example, I was at Lake Como in Italy a few years ago. There villas through one belong to the Russians, admits Ulitskaya.

“They are people of big business, always connected with politics. Businesses are built on personal and monetary relationships. This is called the modern word “corruption”. Our rulers are very rich people. That's definitely it, the writer drew the line.



“I am 80 years old. I was born into a war, and all that time there was no big war. The little ones were out there somewhere. But now we have to live in a time of “special operation” (war), and I would like to see the end of this process. We are all watching what is happening now, and it is just terrible, said Lyudmila.

Interviewer Gordeeva notes that because of large-scale military actions can form a serious problem for several generations, because young men are dying. To which Lyudmila Ulitskaya replied: “This is a demographic problem.” Russia is a country of women, a country of women. Since 1904, the male population has declined for three reasons. Because of the war, because of prison, because of the abuse of drunken beverages. In war, the face becomes more and more feminine.”



“Women’s military service may appear in Russia a little bit more. But I'm afraid of it. What is the army for? Border security. When borders are stable, you don’t need a lot of troops. When borders crack and tremble, an army needs a lot.”



Ekaterina Gordeeva mentions that both in the work and in the general representation of the world there were theses that it is impossible to bring peace with war. “If you follow the historical logic, the one who attacks, in the end loses,” said Gordeeva. “In a sense, every war is doomed to defeat. Even if, in some sense, it is victorious. Failure may come later, and it may be moral. The consequences of this war will be unpredictable, Ulitskaya said.

We are now in Germany and it can be noted that it is a prosperous country. She was able to fully recover from the war. Russia was considered a victorious country, but it is far worse off than Germany. The victorious country was ultimately a country of defeat. It's quite obvious. The reasons for this situation are many, but the main one is the irremovability of power.”

Lyudmila Ulitskaya is sure that the dialogue between the authorities and the people will allow the country to move forward. But what awaits such a country otherwise? Only time will tell. It is too early to say anything while Ukraine is fighting for its own freedom against an absolutely insane enemy. This enemy spends billions of dollars every day on weapons that bring only fear and suffering. This enemy did not even think how many sick children could save this money. The conclusions should be made on their own...